That would depend on what type of goldfish... commons do best at about 60-70, while fancies are best kept at 74. Is it possible to 'compromise' and lower the temp to 76? In any case goldfish, even the fancy ones are relatively hardy and provided the tank has sufficient filtration and aeration (the levels of dissolved oxygen go down and the temperature goes up) even a fish as oxygen-loving as the goldfish should be fine in 78.

May I ask what fish exactly you want to keep the goldfish with? There are very few fish that are compatible with fancies, even after the fact that fancies will do fine at higher temperatures.

Zeetrain

04-08-2010 08:18 AM

This was mainly just to figure out if I could do this. Im not sure if I will be putting any in my tropical tank because I already have a goldfish tank.

kelly528

04-08-2010 11:56 AM

Yeah it definitely helps, espescially since fancy goldfish are a bit more delicate and actually don't do well in a setting like a pond (as they get older the likelihood of them surviving a winter as well as commons do declines). They are also less active than commons and therefore there is less need for lots of oxygen.

And lastly, bacteria thrive at warmer temperatures of 70+ so increasing the temperature will actually make your filter work better and more efficiently. 74 is a good compromise at which bacteria can thrive while still leaving a good capacity for holding oxygen in the water.

redchigh

04-08-2010 12:34 PM

hmm. He mentioned 78 degrees- He might be considering one of those tetra heaters that aren't adjustable.

kelly528

04-08-2010 12:51 PM

I didn't know about those...

If you can't adjust the heater honestly I would get a different one... espescially if the tank is only housing fancy goldfish. You will thank yourself for it if you need to turn the temp up or down for disease treatment.

Plus if the D.O. is insufficient at 78 and you wind up having to buy an extra air pump... you might as well have bought a new heater!!!

Also bear in mind that heaters are really 'upsold'... pet stores reommend 5w per gallon when what you actually need is half that. It will heat just as well and if the thermostat ever breaks it won't even have the wattage to cook your tank. I'd recommend 150W for every 50g.

Zeetrain

04-11-2010 04:12 PM

Thanks for the replys. My goldfish tank is not heated, its rom temp and I decided not to put any in my community.

Lupin

04-13-2010 12:15 AM

78 degrees is fine. It is ideal for fancies. Fancies prefer their temperature much warmer than the singletails. 72-78 degrees is ideal.

Zeetrain

04-13-2010 11:26 PM

Ok cool. Thanks Lupin.

onekatietwo

04-17-2010 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lupin
(Post 362064)

78 degrees is fine. It is ideal for fancies. Fancies prefer their temperature much warmer than the singletails. 72-78 degrees is ideal.

Hmm. Really? Do you think I'm hurting my little guys by not heating through the winter? We keep our house quite cool 55f-60f, usually and the tank seems to get really cold. Like cold enough that I don't like to keep my hand in there for too long because it kind of goes numb. They seem happy and healthy but maybe I should at least heat it a bit in the winter?